This coverless sketchbook not only features sketches of what would later become completed paintings (see page 13 for a completed sketch of Flowers in a Blue and White Vase) but also features some extensive notes on priming canvases.
On page 4, Gillies notes the measurements in grams and ounces for preparing priming mixtures. On page 5, perhaps in a moment of inspiration, he has sketched an easel and coast scene, but on pages 6, 7 and 8 he details in depth the processes used for priming his canvases. In particular, page 7 provides insight into Gillies’s divergence from typical processes. He states that the mixture should be run through a fine sieve, but states in brackets that he never does this.
This sketchbook allows for a deeper insight into the process behind many of Gillies completed works, not simply by showcasing technique, but by providing documentation of how he chose to prepare his canvases before painting.
